We specialize in making sure our guests are taken care of. From the time you walk in our doors until the time you leave, you'll receive top-notch service. Feel free to eat at our second floor guest breakfast room, or walk to Starters Sports Bar and have dinner and see a little of the town. Go on down the street and enjoy Brick Street Antiques or stop by the Tug Valley Chamber of Commerce to get a one of a kind Hatfield McCoy Souvenir. If you are here to Geocache Just let Wendy Know...That's her baby and she likes nothing more than a good dose of GeoTalk !!! If you wanna talk Hatfield & McCoy...Bill is the expert !

We're sticklers for ensuring your stay is the best it can be. That's why we pride ourselves on easy checkin and checkout. If this is your first Inn stay we want it to feel just like a hotel only like your grandma owns it :) Guest Entrance allows for your privacy and yet if you need me I am only a door knock away. I will go out of my way to meet all your needs while you are in our Inn. Go on and give it a try...You will never go back to the chain hotels again ! And we are pretty dang cool to meet if you are into Hatfields & McCoys :)

The New Hatfield McCoy House GeoTour is proudly sponsored by the Historic Inn in the heart of Hatfield McCoy Country. With 150 Geocaches placed to replicate the shape of the Inn, you will find something for everyone in the family. Creative hides, beautiful mountain hikes, fast park & grabs that are so clever you won’t even know it was a fast park and grab. A Wherigo, a Letterbox, an amazing Travelbug “Inn” , Puzzles, Multi's and enough difficulty and terrain combinations to nearly complete your jasmer challenge grid!

Take a look at the Total Adventure Package on our Geocaching Tab for more information...

The Hatfield McCoy Feud is our business. We have a personal connection to the feud in that I am the GGG Granddaughter to Preacher Anderson Hatfield and the GGG Granddaughter of Aunt Betty and Uriah McCoy. I am Bi-Fuedal :)
Growing up I always knew my grandma was a McCoy. She was proud of that heritage. But once the History Channel came and did the Mini Series it made me interested in what my family tree was. So I searched out the answer to find that we are more Hatfield that we are even McCoy.
When I have this conversation with my mother now she still gets a little mad that we have Hatfield Blood running through our veins. LOL
The mention of the Hatfields and McCoys stirs up a lawless bunch of men who loved to kill. It makes you think of gun packing vigilantes that were just hell-bent on defending their families and who didn't care what they had to do to do it.
Many of the people familiar with the two names, Hatfield & McCoy, know very little about the history of the actual legendary families. Just who were the Hatfields and McCoys ? What was the source of the horrible fighting between the two ?
During the heated years of fighting, each family was led by a patriarch. William Anderson Hatfield, also known as Devil Anse, had the look of a backwoods, rough mountain man.
By the 1870's Devil Anse was very successful in the timber business and employed dozens of men including some McCoys.
On the other side of the feud stood Randolph "Ole Ranel" McCoy. Though not as prosperous financially as Devil Anse, Randal was a pretty good farmer and owned some land and livestock.
Both of the two families lived along the Tug Fork River, which snaked between the boundaries of Kentucky and West Virginia. Both of the families had complicated kinship and social networks. (they married cousins back then)
Family loyalty was determined not only by your blood but by where you worked and lived. The families married inside their family sometimes and that would switch the loyalties to which side you were on. This even happened while the feud was going on.
The first event in the decades-long feud was the 1865 murder of Randolph’s brother, Asa Harmon McCoy, by the Logan Wildcats, a local militia group that counted Devil Anse and other Hatfields among its members. Many people—even members of his own family—regarded Asa Harmon, who had served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, as a traitor. While some have surmised that his murder set the stage for the feud, most historians now see this incident as a standalone event.
Relations between the two families continued to sour over the next decade before flaring again over a seemingly small matter: a dispute over a single hog. In 1878 Randolph McCoy accused Floyd Hatfield, a cousin of Devil Anse, of stealing one of his pigs, a valuable commodity in the poor region. Floyd Hatfields’s trial took place in McCoy territory but was presided over by a cousin of Devil Anse. It hinged on the testimony of star witness Bill Staton, a McCoy relative married to a Hatfield. Staton testified in Floyd Hatfield’s favor, and the McCoys were infuriated when Floyd was cleared of the charges against him. Two years later, Staton was violently killed in a fracas with Sam and Paris McCoy, nephews of Randolph. Sam stood trial for the murder but was acquitted for self-defense reasons.
Within months of Staton’s murder, a heated affair of a different sort was set ablaze. At a local election day gathering in 1880, Johnse Hatfield, the 18-year-old son of Devil Anse, encountered Roseanna McCoy, Randolph’s daughter. According to accounts, Johnse and Roseanna hit it off, disappearing together for hours. Supposedly fearing retaliation from her family for mingling with the Hatfields, Roseanna stayed at the Hatfield residence for a period of time, drawing the ire of the McCoys.
Although they certainly shared a romance, it rapidly became clear that Johnse was not about to settle down with Roseanna. Several months later he abandoned the pregnant Roseanna and quickly moved on. In May 1881 he married Nancy McCoy, Roseanna’s cousin. According to the romanticized legend, Roseanna was heartbroken by these events and never recovered emotionally.
The real turning point in the feud, according to most historical accounts, occurred on another local election day in August 1882. Three of Randolph McCoy’s sons ended up in a violent dispute with two brothers of Devil Anse. The fight soon snowballed into chaos as one of the McCoy brothers stabbed Ellison Hatfield multiple times and then shot him in the back. Authorities soon apprehended the McCoys, but the Hatfields interceded, spiriting the men to Hatfield territory. After receiving word that Ellison had died, they bound the McCoys to some pawpaw bushes. Within minutes, they fired more than 50 shots, killing all three brothers.
Though the Hatfields might have felt their revenge was warranted, the law felt otherwise, quickly returning indictments against 20 men, including Devil Anse and his sons. Despite the charges, the Hatfields eluded arrest, leaving the McCoys boiling with anger about the murders and outraged that the Hatfields walked free. Their cause was taken up by Perry Cline, an attorney who was married to Martha McCoy, the widow of Randolph’s brother Asa Harmon. Years earlier Cline had lost a lawsuit against Devil Anse over the deed for thousands of acres of land, and many historians believe this left him looking for his own form of revenge. Using his political connections, Cline had the charges against the Hatfields reinstated. He announced rewards for the arrest of the Hatfields, including Devil Anse.
With the pressure cooker gathering steam, the media started to report on the feud in 1887. In their accounts, the Hatfields were often portrayed as violent backwoods hillbillies who roamed the mountains stirring up violence. The sensationalist coverage planted the seed for the rivalry to become cemented in the American imagination. What had been a local story was becoming a national legend.
The Hatfields may or may not have been paying attention to these stories, but they were certainly paying attention to the bounty on their heads. In an effort to end the commotion once and for all, a group of the Hatfields and their supporters hatched a plan to attack Randolph McCoy and his family. Led by Devil Anse’s son Cap and ally Jim Vance, a group of Hatfield men ambushed the McCoys’ home on New Year’s Day in 1888. Randolph fled, escaping into the woods. His son Calvin and daughter Alifair were killed in the crossfire; his wife Sarah was left badly beaten by the Hatfields, suffering a crushed skull.
A few days after what became known as the New Year’s massacre, bounty hunter Frank Phillips chased down Jim Vance and Cap Hatfield, killing Vance. Phillips rounded up nine Hatfield family members and supporters and hauled them off to jail. Years of legal permutations unfolded as a series of courts judged the legal merits of the Hatfield case. Eventually, the case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which decided that the Hatfields being held in custody could be tried.
The trial began in 1889, and in the end, eight of the Hatfields and their supporters were sentenced to life in prison. Ellison Mounts, who was believed to be the son of Ellison Hatfield, was sentenced to death. Nicknamed Cottontop, Mounts was known to be mentally challenged, and many viewed him as a scapegoat even though he had confessed his guilt. Although public executions were against the law in Kentucky, thousands of spectators gathered to witness the hanging of Ellison Mounts on February 18, 1890. Reports claim that his last words were: “They made me do it! The Hatfields made me do it!”
As the feud faded, both family leaders attempted to recede into relative obscurity. Randolph McCoy became a ferry operator. In 1914 he died at the age of 88 from burns suffered in an accidental fire. By all accounts, he continued to be haunted by the deaths of his children. Devil Anse Hatfield, who had long proclaimed his skepticism about religion, was born again later in life when he was baptized for the first time at age 73. Although the conflict subsided generations ago, the names Hatfield and McCoy continue to loom large in the American imagination.

Historic Matewan

An old coal town that was the site of the Matewan Massacre and was a central location in the Hatfield McCoy Feud. It also has a trail head for the Hatfield McCoy ATV Trails. The town features the Matewan Depot Museum, the burial site of Sid Hatfield, the Matewan Massacre site and many other points of interest. A great place for anyone interested in history, coal or railroads. A must see that is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Dingess Tunnel

This 100 year old, former train tunnel was converted into a highway tunnel in the 1960’s and still serves the public today. The Dingess Tunnel is just under a mile long and is rumored to be haunted by the victims of a train accident that occurred inside it. Driving through the tunnel is an adventure in itself. The tunnel road is only one lane wide so those driving through the tunnel must drive slowly, flash their lights and blow their horn to warn travelers at the other end not to enter. It’s like going on a fun house ride without ever leaving your car. Don’t worry though. There have been very few accidents at the tunnel and its lots of fun.

the best it can be. That's why we pride ourselves on easy check in and checkout. If this is your first Inn or B&B stay we want it to feel just like a hotel only like your grandma owns it :)

The Guest Entrance allows for your privacy and yet if you need me I am only a knock at the office door away. I will go out of my way to meet all of your needs while you are in our Inn.

Go on and give it a try....you will never go back to the chain hotels again ! And we are pretty dang cool to meet if you are into Hatfield's & McCoy's and Feudin :)

Amenities

We specialize in making sure our guests are taken care of. From the time you walk in our doors until the time you leave, you'll receive top-notch service. Feel free to eat at our second floor guest breakfast room or walk to Starters Sports Bar and have dinner and see a little of the town. Go on down the street and enjoy a stroll by Brick Street Antiques or stop by the Tug Valley Chamber of Commerce to get a one of a kind Hatfield McCoy Souvenir. If you are here to Geocache Just let Wendy know because that's her baby and she likes nothing more than a good dose of GeoTalk. If you wanna talk Hatfields and McCoys, Bill is the expert in the area !!!

Thank you for contacting us! If needed, you will hear back within 48-72 hours.